Everything Changes
by LuciusAndNarcissa
Summary: Near the end of their schooling, longtime best friends Lucius Malfoy and Narcissa Black begin to realize their feelings for one another may run more deeply than they thought. Friendships are tested and alliances shift as the students of Slytherin strive to forge their identities in a world in which war has begun to brew.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first in a series of connected stories we plan to post that will encompass our version of Lucissa canon in its entirety, which will incorporate elements from each of our original fics. Though there's one version of our Lucissa getting together for the first time in** _ **Hey, Soul Sister,**_ **the version told in** _ **Everything Changes**_ **will not include the soulmate AU elements, but it will still involve Andromeda's disownment and Thorfinn. Thank you for reading, and we always appreciate feedback. —** _ **L &N**_

* * *

Chapter One

Lucius sat on his bed, which was located across from that of his best friend—more like his brother, as Lucius's parents had adopted Walden Macnair after Walden's father had murdered his mother and was sentenced to life in Azkaban. Walden's bed was beside his cousin Ryan Nott's, and across from Nott was Augustus Rookwood. Three of the four had been mates before Hogwarts, and while at school, Augustus had joined the lot. The four now made up a group of friends that seemed absolutely inseparable, and to other Slytherins, they were the group to aspire to be like.

"I knew it! I knew you liked Narcissa!" exclaimed Walden. "Nott, tell him I knew it! I can't wait to tell Lenny that I was right!"

Lucius's eyes widened. "Don't joke, mate," he said in a panic.

"Relax, I'm not serious." Walden held up his hand to his mouth and whispered loudly to Nott, "Or so he thinks."

"Arse," said Lucius in an annoyed drawl.

Ryan nodded enthusiastically, bringing his hands together in a slow clap. "Macnair tried to bet me on it, you know, but I knew he was right, so I wouldn't take the bet. A dementor could see it, mate, and I don't think they have eyes."

Lucius's eyes narrowed. "Some friend you are, Nott. And quite the brother you've become, Macnair."

Ryan shrugged. "Hey, we're not saying there's anything wrong with that—I say go for it."

"What do you intend to do about Rowle?" Augustus asked Lucius, raising a brow. "He's not likely to give up his claim on her anytime soon."

"I—I don't know," said Lucius in a puzzled tone. "Maybe they aren't as serious as they seem to be. She doesn't talk about him much, and we are quite close."

Ryan looked to Augustus and rolled his eyes before returning his focus to Lucius. "Right. The fact that you're so close to her is what makes me say you should go for it."

Augustus shrugged.

Lucius smiled at Ryan, happy that he and Walden seemed to agree with him on the matter, though he hated that Augustus seemed troubled about the entire thing. Why? He'd never shown any interest in Narcissa.

"I think it's great, mate!" said Walden enthusiastically. "Now, I must go and see my girlfriend. She's waiting for me in the Common Room. The lot of you may join, if you'd like. You can play winner in Wizard's Chess." Walden stood from his bed and exited the room.

Lucius shrugged and slid off his bed and to his feet, following Walden to the Common Room. The entire walk he thought about Narcissa. What would he say? How would he tell her? When would he tell her? Could he tell her? What if she was truly in love with Thorfinn? Lucius sighed and stepped into the Common Room.

* * *

Narcissa was pressed up against one of the walls in the corner of the Common Room by Thorfinn—the corner to which he and many other students often took their other halves when they wanted some time alone to snog. He had his tongue down her throat and was kissing her forcefully. One of his hands rested on her breast as he stroked it with his finger, and she felt the urge to be violently ill.

Narcissa's heart pounded as she attempted to think of a way out of this situation. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to hex Thorfinn and then her mother for setting her up with him in the first place. Why couldn't he understand that she wasn't ready for this? Why was that so hard to process? As his other hand slid up her thigh, she couldn't take it anymore. She swatted at his hand and pulled her mouth back to shake her head as she fought to catch her breath.

* * *

Lucius watched as Walden sat next to Lenore Brown on one of the black leather chaises and kissed her lips. "Hello, love. Lucius finally told us how he felt," said Walden with a playfully raised brow as Ryan and Augustus entered the room and sat at opposite ends of a couch near Walden and Lenore.

Lucius rolled his eyes and sat on a chaise, grabbing the day's _Prophet_ that someone had left on the coffee table. More news about the Ministry working to fight off the group that Lord Voldemort had formed. Lucius began to read the article, trying to tune out Lenore's voice as she spoke.

"Oh, he did? Glad he admitted it."

Lucius felt her gaze on him and fought to focus on the paper.

"Is he going to something about it?"

Lucius looked up from the Prophet to see Walden and Lenore sitting incredibly close, their arms draped around one another, and his heart broke—he wanted that with Narcissa. He shrugged at Lenore's question. "I—What about Thorfinn?" he asked. "How serious of a couple are they?"

Lenore laughed flatly and shook her head. "If by 'serious' you mean 'seriously messed-up,' then very." She rolled her eyes.

Lucius furrowed his brows. He felt a sudden wave of excitement along with a pang of disappointment for Narcissa.

* * *

Thorfinn grunted and stepped toward her. Narcissa attempted to move backward, but she was too close to the wall to succeed.

"We've been courting a year, now," said Thorfinn. "Don't you reckon it's time to be moving forward in our relationship?"

"I know we have, but no. I'm not ready for that." She let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, but I'm not." She glanced toward group now occupying the room, and she found herself able to breathe a bit more easily with the others around, particularly Lucius. She returned her focus to Thorfinn.

"Okay," he said solemnly, lowering his head and remaining close. He looked back up at her and then toward her lips, and Narcissa frowned as he leaned toward her. "Let me just kiss you some more, then," he said. Thorfinn touched his lips to hers once more.

Narcissa knew he was likely going to try something unpleasant again, and she pulled her lips away from his. "No," she said, more loudly this time. "I'm done, Thorfinn. Done."

* * *

At the sound of the word _'No'_ in a near-shout and in a voice that could be none other than Narcissa's, Lucius leapt to his feet, followed by Walden, Ryan, Augustus, and Lenore. Lucius made his way toward the shadowy corner from which the voice had come, and he watched as Thorfinn grabbed Narcissa by the waist.

"How dare you—" Thorfinn began, but he broke off when Lucius cleared his throat.

"Is there a problem, here?" asked Lucius. Thorfinn opened his mouth, but Lucius grinned politely and continued. "I was talking to Narcissa." He turned his eyes toward her, raising his brows. His gaze swept over her pale face, her wide blue eyes, and her long blond hair, which currently fell in waves around her shoulders. "Is he bothering you, Cissy?"

"I'm all right, thank you." She gave him a small smile and then stepped out of the corner. "I think I'll go to my dormitory for a while." She reached out to touch Lucius's arm and started toward the door.

Lucius glared at Thorfinn, noticing Narcissa's apprehension and knowing that something had happened. "You'd better go," he said lowly to the other boy, and he very gently touching Narcissa's arm to stop her from leaving. "Wait," he said softly. "Please."

Thorfinn smirked. "And what're you going to do about it, Malfoy? This is the Common Room."

Lucius stepped forward, and in his periphery, he saw his friends move closer to him, ready to attack if need be. Lucius leaned in close to Thorfinn's ear.

* * *

Narcissa had no idea what Lucius was whispering, but he was glaring daggers, and it was clear that Thorfinn was trying hard not to look alarmed. Narcissa sighed quietly and forced herself to stay still. She wanted to be away from Thorfinn, but if Lucius was making him leave, then fine, she would certainly stay. She had no problem with anyone else in the room. She watched Lucius—even though he was likely saying something highly unpleasant, she knew it was on her behalf, and she couldn't help taking the opportunity to admire him. They'd been friends since before Hogwarts, but she'd only recently begun to realize that he was overwhelmingly handsome with his light-grey eyes and his sharp jaw, a fact which had been right under her nose since her childhood, if she'd taken the time to notice it. She'd confided in him for most of her life, and she supposed that she'd never allowed herself to consider him as anything more than her closest friend until her parents had given Thorfinn permission to court her and she'd spent the majority of her time wishing he was someone else. When she'd found herself imagining he was Lucius, she'd understood that she needed to reevaluate her feelings.

Lucius drew back, his stare boring into Thorfinn, who cleared his throat and straightened his robes. "I didn't want to be around the lot of you, anyway. If you'll excuse me," he said, passing Lucius and ramming into his shoulder hard. Narcissa frowned. A moment later, Thorfinn approached her with a glare. "This isn't over. Just wait until your mother hears what you've done." He disappeared down the hall that led to the boys' dormitories.

Narcissa's cheeks burned. What had he meant about her mother? What would Druella find out, that her daughter had refused Thorfinn's advances? She shook her head, trying to clear it of thoughts of him.

"I believe we were going to play Wizard Chess," said Lucius. "Cissy, would you like to join?"

Narcissa smiled. "I'd love to, thank you."

Lucius smiled, as well. "Wonderful."

He made his way over to the area beside the fireplace, and Narcissa realized that everyone had taken their seats once more. Walden was setting up the chess board and sitting across from Lenore at a table they must've dragged closer to the pair of armchairs they occupied. Lucius patted the spot next to him on one of the leather couches, and Narcissa followed him, taking a seat beside him. She was immensely grateful for his willingness to be so welcoming and help her to forget about Thorfinn.

"Thanks for that," she muttered.

Lucius nodded. "Of course. I'm sorry you've had to deal with him."

"Are you sure you're ready for me to win?" Walden asked Lenore.

She raised a brow and laughed. "Is that what's going to happen? Write that one down, everyone. Let's see if Walden's halfway decent at Divination." She smiled and winked at him. "Pawn to C-three."

Ryan chuckled. "Writing," he said, nudging Lenore. "I'm on your team, Lenny."

"Why thank you," said Lenore. She grinned at Walden. "See?"

"I see where your allegiance lies," said Walden. "Pawn to E-five."

"With the winner. Knight to D-three"

Narcissa shrugged, trying to appear less bothered by the situation with Thorfinn than she was. "It's not your fault," she told Lucius. "But thank you." She reached out to give his arm a squeeze.

"Anytime," said Lucius, eyeing her hand on his arm and smiling. He looked back up at her with the smile still spread across his features. "I mean it." Lucius turned toward the game and looked to Walden. "Don't worry, brother. I'm rooting for you."

Walden grinned. "We're even, then. Unless... Cissy, root for me?" he inquired playfully.

Lucius looked at Narcissa. "Join the team. You won't regret it." Lucius smiled, and Ryan scoffed.

"Cissy, don't listen to them," he said. "Our team is the best."

"Knight to D-six," said Walden.

Narcissa laughed. "I feel there's no right answer, so I'll reserve judgment for a few more turns."

Lenore stuck out her tongue. "Some best friend you are. Pawn to A-four."

"She's a wonderful best friend," said Lucius. "That's why she's going to pick our team."

Narcissa smiled at Lucius and let out a laugh. "Hm... you know, that's a good point."

Walden grinned. "Join the team, Cissy. Help your boys out. Pawn to H-six."

Augustus stood from the couch he'd occupied and moved over to sit next to Narcissa. "Ignore them. Join my team and remain unbiased," he said, taking Narcissa's hand in his own. She looked from their hands to his face and then glanced back to Lucius to see that he'd turned away from her.

Narcissa's face fell. She nudged Lucius with her elbow. "I think I'll have to go with Team Walden."

"Oh, boo," said Lenore, pouting. She shook her head and looked back to the board. "Castle to A-one."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you for your support! We greatly appreciate it. — _L &N_**

* * *

Chapter Two

On one side of Lucius sat Walden, and on the other side there was an empty space—one he hoped would be filled by Narcissa when she arrived. Walden was saving a seat for Lenore, and Ryan was saving one for his girlfriend, Odette. Augustus, who sat next to Ryan and across from Lucius and Walden, had an empty seat saved as well, and Lucius had a pretty good idea as to whom Augustus wanted next to him. Ever since Lucius had confessed his feelings for Narcissa to his friends a week prior, Augustus had been acting very protective over her. Lucius found his friend's behavior quite annoying, to say the least.

"Practice on Thursday, first game on Friday, correct?" Walden asked Lucius.

"Yeah, now that we've managed to get through tryouts. Thanks for being co-captain again this year, mate."

"Of course. I truly believe we'll continue our winning streak this year. That Zabini bloke seems like he's going to be one hell of a Chaser."

"Yeah, for a second-year, he's quite impressive," replied Lucius.

"What're you lot whispering about?" asked Ryan.

Walden sat up and grabbed the pitcher of pumpkin juice, pouring himself another glass. "Quidditch," he said.

"Oh, right. When's practice, mate?" asked Ryan, turning his attention to Lucius.

"Thursday." Lucius grabbed his spoon and took a bite of his oatmeal. A few minutes passed in silence apart from the sounds of the group eating and the chatter of people clustered farther down the table.

"Oh, look. It's the boys."

Lucius glanced toward the doors as Narcissa entered the Great Hall with Lenore and the dark-haired Odette, who had spoken. When the trio reached the table, Lenore took her seat beside Walden, and Lucius took their shifting to mean that she'd reached for his hand beneath the table. When Odette sat beside Ryan, she leaned in to kiss his cheek, and Ryan immediately turned to face her.

"We've been known to do better than that," he said, leaning in, placing a hand on her cheek, and kissing her lips.

Lucius looked away from them and to Narcissa with a smile as she sat down beside him. He had just finished filling his own glass with pumpkin juice, and he decided to offer to pour her some as well. "Pumpkin juice?" he asked, hoping that he didn't sound too desperate to do something for her.

Narcissa smiled. "Please. Thank you."

Lucius nodded and filled her glass, trying hard to ignore Ryan and Odette, who were still kissing across the table.

A few moments later, a deluge of owls swept in overhead, and Lucius watched as the tawny bird he recognized as his mother's drop packages with attached letters in front of Walden and himself. The two exchanged glances, grinning.

"Mother," they said together

Each of them opened his package, and when Lucius looked down into the box in front of him, he found it filled with crumpets. He looked to Narcissa and smiled.

"Crumpet?" he asked, holding one out and eyeing the letters that had fallen to the table in front of her. "Two letters, Cissy. You're rather popular. Aren't you going to open them?"

"Oh, thank you." She smiled as she took the crumpet and laid it on her plate, and then she glanced hesitantly at the letters. "I probably should, shouldn't I?" She reached for the first letter and removed it from its envelope, and her eyes began to rove over the parchment.

Lucius grabbed a few pieces of bacon and a serving of eggs for his plate, and he started in on his toast. He noticed that Narcissa had gone quiet, and he turned toward her to see tears glistening in her eyes. The letter lay on the table a few inches from her hand. His face fell.

"Narcissa?" he asked in a concerned tone, causing the others to look her way.

"Cissy, are you all right?" asked Ryan.

Narcissa looked to Lucius and then to Ryan and closed her eyes for a moment. Finally, she let out a sigh. "My sister's been disowned. Andromeda."

Lucius's eyes widened, and he dropped his fork and immediately reached his hand out to rest it on hers.

"What?" asked Walden incredulously, dropping the piece of toast he'd been preparing to put into his mouth.

"That's bloody awful," said Lenore.

"How?" Augustus sat up straighter, placing his glass of pumpkin juice on the table and watching Narcissa closely.

Narcissa glanced down at Lucius's hand on hers as her tears began to slide down her cheeks. She looked up and shifted her attention from one of their faces to the next, and she drew in a long breath. "'Soiling our blood,' our mother says. Apparently she's run off with a Muggleborn."

As Lucius watched her tears fall, he knew he had to do something. He quickly released her hand, scooted closer, and wrapped his arms around her thin frame, pulling her against his chest. He knew they weren't dating, but this was his best friend, and she needed support and comfort. He inwardly cursed Andromeda for being so selfish—not only in regard to her family at large, but more specifically, to her sister. _How could she leave, Cissy?_ he thought. She collapsed against him, the unsteady nature of her weeping suggesting that she was trying hard to hold it back. Lucius glanced up at the others. Walden cleared his throat and looked down toward his plate. Ryan remained quiet and stayed close to Odette, who muttered an apology in Narcissa's direction and closed her eyes. Augustus continued to nervously stir his oatmeal.

As children of Pureblood families, Lucius knew they'd all been taught what happened if someone broke the laws their families had followed for centuries. Any type of shame brought onto one's family called for an immediate removal, which meant nearly the same as death to someone of their status, though in these instances, there was no funeral or closure for the one at fault or the members of their family who did care about them.

Lucius ran his hands gently along Narcissa's back. "I'm sorry, Cissy," he breathed. "I'm so, so sorry."

After a few moments, Narcissa lifted her head. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I should be handling this better." She sniffed and wiped her eyes.

Lucius pulled back, shaking his head and wanting to tell her that it was perfectly acceptable for her to be breaking down at a time like this, but he didn't feel that it was his place. Besides, he knew her, and he knew that she was like him in that neither of them enjoyed drawing more attention than necessary to their private matters. He was desperate to help her in some way, though. He thought for a moment, turning toward the different serving trays of food and beginning to fill her plate for her.

"You should eat before you go to class," he said quietly. "We can't have you fainting due to hunger. I'll walk you, if you'd like."

"Thank you, Lucius." Narcissa smiled softly. "I promise I'll eat. And I'd love for you to walk me, if it's not too much trouble."

Lucius nodded and returned his attention to his own plate to work on finishing his own food. As he was grabbing a piece of bacon, he paused as he felt her side brush against his own, causing his smile to reappear. He caught sight of Ryan and Walden grinning at each other in his periphery. Lucius paid them no mind and focused on how wonderful it felt to have Narcissa so close to him. He glanced at her every few moments to ensure that she was doing better than moments before, and his smile remained constant due to the sight of her eating.

"How goes Prefect duty?" Odette asked.

Narcissa shrugged. "There hasn't been a lot of trouble, so far, thankfully. Well, that I've noticed. What about you, Mr. Head Boy?"

Lucius looked from Narcissa to Odette and shrugged. "Not much, from what I've had to deal with. I did break up a fight between a Slytherin and Gryffindor first-year. That was pleasant," he said sarcastically. "The Slytherin was mad at me because I punished him as well, but what was I supposed to do? Allow him to misbehave?"

Odette nodded, frowning. "They can't expect special treatment. The professors won't give it. Well... except Dumbledore. And Slughorn."

Lucius ate a piece of his bacon and looked to Walden and then to the group at large. "Walden is going to be co-captain again this year, by the way," he said proudly.

Lenore looked to Walden with a proud grin and nudged him playfully with her elbow. "Congrats, love. You'll destroy them."

"We're going to have a winning season," said Walden confidently.

"We'll crush them all," added Ryan, who looked toward Augustus, evidently waiting for him to add a remark. Lucius and Walden looked to him expectantly, as well.

Augustus looked up from his bowl of oatmeal. "What?" he asked, bemused.

"We were talking about—are you all right, mate?" asked Ryan.

Narcissa frowned, watching Augustus. "What's the matter?" she asked.

Augustus looked toward Narcissa, opened his mouth like he was ready to speak, and then closed it. He then turned to Lucius and attempted to speak again, but he was just as unsuccessful the second time.

Lucius furrowed his brow, and before he could say anything, Augustus stood from the table, downed his pumpkin juice, grabbed his book bag, and left the Great Hall without another word.

"What just happened?" asked Walden.

Lucius sighed and shrugged. "I don't know," he said, though he had sort of an idea of what might be going on. Augustus was jealous that Lucius liked Narcissa and that Narcissa paid more attention to Lucius rather than himself.

Lucius glanced to Narcissa and watched as she poked at her food, shaking her head. He looked up in time to see Odette glance toward the door.

"Should someone go after him?" she asked.

Lenore sighed. "I don't know if he's going to want to talk to any of us. He's moodier than Moaning Myrtle, right now."

Lucius nodded. _Yes, he has been, and if he has a problem, he can inform us of it. Otherwise, I'm tired of dealing with his mood swings_. He knew better than to speak his thoughts aloud in this situation, when Augustus wasn't there to defend himself, but he couldn't deny the agitation he felt. He glanced from Walden, who silently drank from his glass of pumpkin juice, to Ryan, who shoved a whole piece of toast in his mouth.

Narcissa let out a sigh and pulled her bag onto her shoulder, looking to Lucius. "If you're ready, we could start walking." She shoved her mother's letter rather unceremoniously into her bag and took a drink of water.

Lucius nodded. He lifted his glass of pumpkin juice and downed the rest of it. He then grabbed his bag and pulled its strap over his head to hang it across his body as he stood. He looked to the group at large. "We'll see you lot soon," he said, smiling. He turned his attention to Narcissa. "Ready?"

She pushed herself to her feet. "Have a good day," she told the others.

"I'll be there eventually," said Lenore.

"If there are seats left," Narcissa teased. She took a step closer to Lucius. "Yes, ready." She shifted her bag more firmly onto her shoulder.

Lucius waved to the others and started for the door, Narcissa at his side. He looked to her every few moments with a smile, working on figuring out what the best subject change was at the moment.

"What class do you have first, today?" he asked at last.

"Transfiguration," she said. "I rather like it. What about you? What's on your list?"

"I'm headed to Potions."

Narcissa nodded. "I know Slughorn thinks the world of you."

They chatted as he led her through the corridors, and eventually, they stopped in front of McGonagall's classroom. Lucius turned to Narcissa and took her hand, looking into her bright-blue eyes with the wide smile he often found himself wearing around her.

"If you need anything, you've got me. All right?" Lucius asked. He stepped forward, released her hand, and wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you, Lucius. I hope you know how much that means to me."

Lucius kept her close to him, closing his eyes as he held her and enjoyed every moment their bodies had contact. Grudgingly, he pulled away, meeting her eyes with his own and continuing to smile. He nodded at her words, happy that she'd appreciated his promise. "I do, and I want you to know how much it means to me that you let me be that person for you."

The bell rang, signaling that it was time for first period. Lucius, with his hand gripping his schoolbag's strap, craned his neck toward the movement of students rushing to their classes. He then turned back to look at her.

"Well, I best be going," he said, squeezing her hand once more and releasing it reluctantly to head to his first class.


	3. Dear Readers

Dear Readers,

Thank you so very much for your support. We appreciate it greatly. We wanted to inform you that _justforpractice_ has decided to discontinue writing on FFN. However, I will continue to update stories that are currently on our joint page (as well as _An Unlikely Tale_ ) on my individual page from here forward and hope to do them justice.

Thank you again, and I hope you continue to read these stories and the others.

 _theslytherinrose_


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